Taste
by lookingforthestars
Summary: Paige engages Walter's other senses. Set after 4x04.


**I haven't been updating much, I know. Writing has been hard lately. Real life is pretty hectic/stressful right now and things just aren't coming to me as naturally as they used to. If you're waiting for an update to "Double Jeopardy" or "Innocent," thanks for being patient. I can't say when they'll be updated, but I certainly haven't given up on them.**

" **Nuke Kids on the Block" gave me some inspiration, though, so figured I'd give it a try. I tried not to go too kinky but the restaurant scene was really just begging for this...**

It was a good thing she didn't mind mayonnaise. The smell of the condiment—along with onions, steak, and some kind of root vegetable—permeated his car all the way back to the loft and she needed a few tries to convince him to leave the windows open overnight so the heat wouldn't make it uninhabitable later.

Hardly the type of food play that could be considered sexy, but that hadn't stopped them from making out on the street like a couple of teenagers. There was something irresistible about his laugh. Seeing him so genuinely happy made her realize that for a long time, he hadn't been. Paige couldn't remember his eyes lighting up like that when their friendship was strained, when she was with Tim. She guessed he probably could have said the same thing about her.

But now, when they were walking back to the loft and she didn't need a reason to stay because there was just an unspoken agreement that she _would_ , it struck her how different and thrilling and right everything finally was.

Paige sipped the last of her soda and tossed it into the trash can near her desk. Still hungry, but not wanting to inflict their mess on anyone else, they'd settled for drive-thru burgers. She wondered if the cashier had been confused when Walter ordered his with "basic mayonnaise."

"We should try that restaurant another time," the genius offered as he locked the garage door behind them. "Now that I understand the concept, I'll be more prepared and hold off movement until my eyes adjust to the darkness."

She pressed her lips together to hide her smirk. "Walter, I don't think we'll be welcome there again."

"Oh." He cocked his head pensively. "Yes, you're probably right. I suppose it's not the first time." Walter walked over to where she was leaning against his desk, reaching out to slide his hands into hers. "I feel bad, though. You were dressed up. And you look nice."

She'd looked better before she became the main course, but Walter was staring at her just as appreciatively. Paige always enjoyed dressing nicely, and she knew her appearance was secondary to him, all things considered. But there was something fun about dressing up especially for him, not caring about anyone else's reaction because his was the only one that mattered. He did it too. He was wearing that dark red shirt she liked, and she liked it more than ever tonight.

"Thank you," Paige said softly, squeezing his hands. "It's early. You want to go upstairs?"

As much as she liked staying over, Ralph's sitter had to leave by midnight. The team members had their own lives and their own need for alone time; they couldn't watch Ralph every night. And she certainly didn't want her son to feel pushed aside in favor of Walter.

But they still had a few hours. Happy's fourth-wheeling had severely cut into their intimacy and Paige was pretty sure she would have jumped Walter at the drive-in movie if they'd gone, onlookers be damned.

"Yeah. Do you wanna…?"

"Shower first?" she finished, because she couldn't imagine he was thinking anything else. He nodded. "Oh god, yes."

Walter grinned, motioning for her to lead the way. She shrugged out of her jacket and he unbuttoned his shirt on the way up, even though the food had already been in contact with their clothes long enough to stain, and there wasn't a lot they could do about it now. Everything got dumped unceremoniously in his laundry basket when they reached the loft and Paige set her boots neatly beside it before heading to the bathroom.

His shower was small—bathing wasn't so much an experience as a necessity to him—but just large enough for the two of them to fit if she didn't need to shave her legs. She cranked up the hot water, sighing contentedly when the spray hit her skin.

"You have lettuce in your hair," Walter laughed as he stepped in behind her. His fingers grazed the back of her head before he flicked the offending produce toward the drain. "There."

"Mmm. That felt nice."

"This?" His hands returned to her hair, massaging lightly at her scalp. Paige hummed in approval, shutting her eyes. She was sensitive there, in a good way, and the sensations were always amplified when it was Walter touching her. "Do you want the shampoo?"

"Depends. Is there anything oily on me?"

"I don't think so." The genius's fingers raked through the slightly damp strands and down her back, coaxing a tiny shiver out of her. "M-Maybe I should check?"

His suggestive comments were still a little less than confident, but that was part of his charm. Knowing that he wasn't smooth because this was new, because he'd never wanted to do this with anyone but her, was more of a turn-on than any pickup line. "Probably for the best," she teased, her breath catching when he resumed stroking her back. The random pattern made her wonder if he was tracing droplets of water as they fell. Fracturing her wrist thirteen years ago had more or less turned her off shower sex for good—Walter knew as much—but this was intense in its own way, the quiet and the closeness.

He wrapped his arms around her, over her stomach, and Paige leaned back against him, tucking her head into his shoulder. Walter had been so averse to physical contact most of his life that she found it almost unbelievable how far he'd come in the past few years. He thought nothing of kissing her in front of the team, taking her hand when they were on dates, holding her while they slept. The change was so gradual that she barely noticed while it was happening, but in hindsight, it was pretty remarkable. Even more remarkable that she was on the other end of it. "You ready to get out?" he murmured.

"In a second." No reason to rush when she was content to close her eyes and focus on his warm skin against hers.

She had an idea.

"Walter…" Paige bit her lip. "Do you think you're up for trying something new tonight?"

"How new?"

His concerned tone was adorable. She slid her hands over his, holding him close to her. "The point of the restaurant was to enhance the other senses by taking away sight, right? I think we could easily recreate that. Give you the experience you missed."

"That didn't work out very well at the restaurant."

"Not with other people, no. But this would just be you and me." Paige tilted her head up to meet his eyes, smiling at him reassuringly. "I meant it when I said I could never get bored with you. But if you're comfortable, trying new things together can be really fun."

Walter looked at her for a long moment, his expression unreadable. She hoped she wasn't scaring him off. He was adventurous enough when it came to saving the world, but in his personal life, he was a man who thrived on routine. She never wanted him to think that wasn't enough.

But she trusted him. She could only experiment with him _because_ she knew he would protect her, no matter what.

"Okay," he said finally, reaching around her to turn off the water. "What do you need me to do?"

Paige pressed a kiss to his cheek. "Just dry off and get in bed. I'll take care of it."

Walter pushed the shower door aside, grabbing one towel for himself and another for her. It took her a little longer to squeeze all the moisture out of her hair and rake some of Walter's gel through it so the strands wouldn't get too frizzy. When she was satisfied she wouldn't drip everywhere, Paige hung up her towel and made a beeline for the dresser, knowing exactly what she could use.

"Is this okay?" She took the widest tie from the top drawer, a plain navy blue design, and held it up. Paige couldn't remember ever seeing Walter in a patterned tie, now that she thought about it. He didn't even wear dress shirts very often anymore, possibly because of her complaints about how hard they were to get him out of.

"Y-Yeah. I guess." He shifted on the mattress, uncertainty marking his features. But she wasn't blind to the curiosity and desire beneath it.

Paige shut the drawer and crawled onto the bed, settling on her knees next to the genius. "Are you sure? I only want to do it if you're on board."

Walter exhaled loudly and nodded. "It's just a blindfold."

"Tell me if you get uncomfortable." She scooted closer, laying the fabric flat over his eyes. It was hard to tie the ends from that angle and Walter reached back to help secure the knot. "Too tight?"

"No. It's good." Paige gave him a minute to adjust, rubbing his hand soothingly until he said, "What now?"

"Hold on." She hopped up, flipping off a few of the peripheral lights and dimming the ones directly over them. There was no point in covering his eyes if the room was too bright. She checked that the loft door was locked—just in case—and returned to the bed, swinging her leg over to straddle Walter. He jumped slightly, surprised by the movement. "Are you okay?"

"Yes. This is just...odd." His hands searched out and found her hips, which seemed to orient him as he relaxed against the pillows. "Alright."

Paige brushed her damp hair over her shoulder, placing one hand on Walter's chest and the other behind his head as she guided him to her exposed neck. The genius caught on, tentatively kissing her there, mapping the area in his mind. She inhaled sharply when he closed his lips and sucked lightly on her pulse point, tightening his grip on her to stabilize them both.

"Oh god," she breathed, already feeling a little lightheaded. "Still think it's just a gimmick?"

Walter broke away and huffed out a laugh. "Not in this case." His hand snaked up from her waist to her face, landing on her jaw. "But I already miss looking at you."

"I know." Sometimes it felt like she couldn't think straight under his gaze. "Don't focus on that. Focus on what you smell. What you taste. What you feel."

He nodded and leaned in, resuming his exploration of her neck. She stroked her fingers over his chest, pleased by his racing heartbeat. Paige didn't want to overwhelm him with stimulation, but he'd proven himself capable of handling quite a bit more than either of them expected. Walter began to kiss lower and she lifted up onto her knees, giving him easier access to her breasts. It was rare for him not to take at least a brief detour there. Walter located her nipple with his thumb, grazing it gently before he repeated the motion with his tongue. She arched toward him, tugging his hand upward to cover her other breast. In moments like this, Paige had no idea how she'd waited so long to be intimate with him. His inexperience was barely a factor when his touch affected her so strongly. And if there came a time when that intensity faded...well, he wouldn't exactly lack experience anymore.

He moved to her other breast, massaging the one he'd just left, and Paige curled her hands into his hair, moaning quietly. Given enough time, she was sure this would be enough to do her in, but she wasn't close enough yet and she really preferred to finish with him inside her anyway. She leaned back, smirking as his expression turned from confusion to mock annoyance. "I guess you're in charge tonight."

"Very much so, yes." She settled back down onto his legs with a quick kiss. "How do you feel so far?"

"Good. I'm noticing new things about you."

Paige was surprised, even though realistically that was the point of the experiment. "Really? Like what?"

"Like…" His hands landed a little clumsily on her shoulders before he moved his palms up and down her arms. "You have these little bumps on your skin. Most people do. They're just so small I never realized it before. And your scent is different."

"Different?" Suddenly she was wondering if this was such a brilliant idea.

"Normally you're wearing perfume or your lavender hand cream. Which I like. But you don't have anything on now and I can smell your natural scent. It's nice. Sweet."

He couldn't see how furiously she was blushing. They were odd compliments, if the first observation was even technically a compliment. But everything Walter did was a little odd, and Paige knew they must be perfect for each other because she couldn't seem to get enough of the things that had turned other women off.

They didn't know what they were missing.

"How does it feel…" Paige smoothed her hand down his abdomen so he wouldn't be startled when she wrapped her fingers around him, "when I do this?"

Walter's breaths grew audible as she started to stroke him. He didn't need any assistance—he had the enthusiasm of a teenage boy, though fortunately not the stamina of one—but teasing him was too much fun. "It feels g-good. It always feels good." He groaned when she passed her thumb over the tip, grabbing her arm hard enough to leave an impression. "I'm not going to last if you keep doing that. Let me touch you."

"You are touching me."

"You know what I mean."

"Not yet," she said in her most seductive whisper, backing away when he reached for her. There was one more thing she wanted to try while he was blindfolded.

Paige rested her weight on her shins as she leaned down, replacing her hand with her mouth. His hips jerked immediately—he didn't have any of the normal signals to prepare him—but she'd anticipated his response and lifted her head. "Sorry. Sorry," Walter said, sounding slightly frantic. "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine, Walter." She allowed a hint of smugness into her voice so he would know for sure that he hadn't hurt her. "Are you?"

The genius inhaled, curling the sheets in one hand and dragging the other over his face as he nodded. "Yeah." She waited until his tension faded and dipped her head again, running her tongue along his length before wrapping her lips back around him. This was never something she'd had any particular feelings about, for or against. But the reaction she pulled out of him was entirely worth it, and he was so generous with oral sex that reciprocating wasn't a chore. He let out a long, low moan as she flicked her tongue, rubbing below with her hand, increasing her pressure until his fingers tangled gently in her hair. "Come here."

Paige released him and crawled back up, kissing him before she positioned herself and slowly sank down. There was a flash of panic that she'd forgotten a condom, followed almost instantly by the memory that her birth control had finally kicked in. God, she was out of practice.

Walter's arms circled her, pressing her tight against him as she set an easy pace for them. It felt wrong not to be staring into his eyes when they were this close, but it was also strangely liberating not to worry what she looked like in the heat of the moment. She grazed her nails against his scalp, the back of his neck, over his shoulders, deliberately hitting all the spots she knew would make him tremble. He was incredibly responsive and she wondered if he'd avoided touch because it was always this acute or if hers was the exception.

"You're so beautiful," Walter murmured, pressing a kiss to her collarbone.

She laughed. "You can't even see me right now."

"I would think that even if I'd never seen you."

Walter wasn't a natural romantic. The more confident he was that he was wooing her, the more awkward and embarrassing his gestures tended to be. But sometimes he'd state a fact like that with no clue how weak it made her. "I love you," Paige whispered, pressing her lips to his. "So much."

"I love you too." Her movement was limited in this position, so she pushed at Walter's chest to get him to straighten up and readjusted. She rotated her hips, smirking triumphantly when he tipped his head back and grunted. "You're killing me."

"To be honest, you're holding out longer than I expected."

"It's...oh god," he groaned as she grinded down on him. "Getting easier. Not when you do that, though."

She kissed him again, picking up her pace slightly. "You don't have to wait for me."

"I want you to orgasm too."

"I know." She smiled against his lips. "Just let it happen naturally, okay?"

Walter never left her hanging if she wanted to finish. His habit of putting everyone else's needs before his own extended to all areas of his life. But there was no rush and she didn't want him to be miserable trying to delay the inevitable.

It was Paige's turn to be surprised as the genius reached between them and touched her. That wasn't always a guarantee of success, but the electricity that shot through her body suggested it might be one of the lucky times. Walter thrust up into her once, twice, before shuddering hard and groaning her name, but his hand didn't let up until she was tensing around him and coming in his arms moments later. She collapsed against him until she caught her breath and then gently separated them, settling in next to him on the bed.

"Can I take this off now?"

"Oh, yeah, sorry," Paige giggled, helping him slide the makeshift blindfold over his head. "Hi."

He smiled down at her. "Hi."

"How was that?"

"Definitely...not boring." Walter stroked her hair, twisting the ends between his fingers. "It was interesting. I'll need more time for a full assessment."

"Talk nerdy to me, baby." She grinned and leaned up for a quick kiss. "I appreciate you trying it."

"Are you going to? Sometime?"

"Sure. I'll try it tonight if you're up for more."

"Twenty-six minutes." Paige rolled her eyes. She wondered if all men knew the exact timing of their refractory periods. At least it was useful information, unlike most of the facts he recited.

She scooted closer, resting her head on his chest and tracing lines across his skin with her index finger. A few long, quiet minutes passed before she said, "I have something to confess too."

"Hmm?"

"I was really surprised. Earlier. When you said you were worried about me getting bored with you." Paige could hear and feel his breathing grow shallower at that. "Because I always thought it would be the other way around. You getting bored of me."

"Why would you think that?" He sounded confused. "Did I say or do something to give that impression?"

She shook her head. "Of course not. It's just...you're a genius. Surrounded by geniuses. I can never completely keep up. It's a logical fear."

"No, it isn't," Walter said quietly, furrowing his eyebrows. "Yes, I enjoy being around people like me. Exchanging ideas. But the majority of the time, I already know what they know. It's different with you." He cleared his throat. "You opened up...what is essentially an entirely new world to me. Every experience I have with you is new. Everything that I feel around you is new. I'm learning about you, and myself, and this other dimension to life that I never even considered. Three years in and I've barely scratched the surface. It hasn't been nearly enough time with you."

Paige bit her lip. Walter would have to get creative for the next twenty minutes, because she was suddenly very much in the mood again.

She grabbed his tie off the headboard, flashing him a wicked smile before knotting it behind her head. "My turn."


End file.
